An electronic memory card essentially comprises a card body which is generally rectangular in shape and an electronic module fixed inside the card body. The card body which is made of a thermoplastic material such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has two main faces which are substantially parallel to each other. The electronic module generally comprises an insulating support with contact tabs external to the card being formed on one face thereof, together with a semiconductor chip fixed on the opposite face of the insulating support and electrically connected to the external contact tabs.
There are numerous types of method for fixing the electronic module in the card body. One of these methods consists in making a cavity in the card body, in placing the electronic module in the cavity, and in gluing it in such a manner that the external contact tabs of the electronic module lie substantially in the same plane as one of the main faces of the card body.
Gluing an electronic module to the card body is a difficult procedure. The gluing must be good enough to enable the card to pass standard bending tests, but it must nevertheless avoid giving rise to additional operations that could increase the manufacturing cost of the card appreciably.
In addition, while performing a gluing operation, it is highly desirable to be able to accomodate dispersion in the dimensions of cavities in card bodies and of electronic modules so that, after gluing, the external contact tabs always lie in the same plane as one of the main faces of the card body.
European patent application number 201 952 filed in the name of RTC Compelec describes a gluing method which consists in using a strip of adhesive material which is adhesive on both faces.
Such a method is difficult to perform specifically because the strip of adhesive is adhesive on both faces. In addition, it cannot compensate for dispersion in dimensions in the thickness direction either on the electronic module or in the cavity.
An object of the present invention is to provide a method of making an electronic memory card which enables the electronic module to be fixed to the card body by means of operations which are simpler than those of the prior art.